Farage is a B lymphocyte cell line isolated in 1990 from a white adult female patient with non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. These cells do not express surface or cytoplasmic immunoglobulins. Treatment with IL-4 increases the expression of CD23, CD54, and CD58 but decreases the expression of CD21, CD22, and CD38. Incubation with IL-4 for 6 to 8 days leads to increased expression of CD11a, CD39, and CD40, while CD21 and CD38 disappear. Exposure of Farage cells to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) downregulates the expression of CD21 and CD23.

These cells do not express the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase gene (TdT) nor the recombination-activating genes RAG-1 and RAG-2, which are markers of the pre-B cell stage. These findings indicate that Farage represents mature B cells rather than pre-B cells.The cells are positive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Cell Type: Human B lymphoma cells (STR-verified)
Cell Synonyms: Farage
Catalogue No.: TCH-C624
Species: Human
Tissue Origin: Derived from metastatic site: Lymph node
Disease Characteristics: —
Morphology: Lymphoblast-like
Growth Characteristics: Suspension growth
Culture Medium: RPMI-1640 + 10% FBS (fetal bovine serum) + 1% P/S (penicillin-streptomycin)
Passage Ratio: 3×10⁵ – 3×10⁶ cells/mL; change medium every 2–3 days
Doubling Time: 24–36 hours
Culture Conditions: Atmosphere: 95% air + 5% CO₂, Temperature: 37°C
Freezing Conditions:60% basal medium + 30% FBS + 10% DMSO, stored in liquid nitrogen
Quality Control: Negative for bacteria, fungi, and mycoplasma